Wedding Photography Tips

Your friends are getting married, but they don't have a lot of money to spend. And they asked you to play photographer at their wedding. You're a nice person and you want to do it, so you accept. And now the trouble's on you. It's quite an occasion and although you're not a professional photographer you want to get it about right. So what do you do? Well here are some wedding photography tips for you.



PREPARE! No matter what you use, actual film or digital camera, make sure you have enough of it. Estimate what you need, then double it and then triple it. You can always use the extra rolls, but you're stuck at the wedding if you don't have enough. The same goes for digital; make sure you have enough memory to stock all the photos that you take. It is recommended you have at least 2 Gb for a wedding.



And of course the same for batteries. You will be taking lots of photos, you will use the camera's flash, so have with you at least 4 sets of fully charges batteries. Check your equipment several times before you start. Take with you everything that you could possibly be need, it's better to carry extra equipment than wishing you had brought something you suddenly seem to need.

Find out all the locations where you will be shooting and scout them. Some photos are standard, like the altar photos, but that is not all.Take photos before the ceremony! After the ceremony everyone seems to rush to go to the reception. And this is not an occasion where you will want to be rushed. Make a plan! Play director!



Wedding days are crazy, people tend to become irrational, so it might be difficult to reason with them. So have a plan. No exactly what you are going to do, in what order and where. Allow yourself to be creative! Everyone loves to have a few pictures that stand out and are entirely different from any other couple's. So look for interesting places, sceneries and moments. Don't keep everything indoors. There are a few standard pictures that have to be taken.

There are the 'getting ready' pictures, the bride putting on make up, having her hair done, putting on the dress etc. the groom getting advice from dad, waiting around with male friends. Then there are the group shots, the groom with the groomsmen, the bride with the bridesmaids, both of these groups together, family groups and don't forget about the wedding rings.



And very importantly you need to take photos of tender or funny moments, for instance the groom anxiously waiting for his bride or the bride and groom hiding away for a private kiss. During the ceremony and receptions look at the important moments, such as giving the bride away, the i do's, the kiss at the altar, the first dance, the father daughter dance and don't forget the cake! Remember these wedding photography tips and you may actually make a good photographer!